By Kevin Bonham
Grand Forks (ND) Herald
Some people living in and around the Pembina Gorge are making noise about a state plan to allow all-terrain vehicles to operate within the scenic natural wonder.
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department officials met recently with local residents at Frost Fire Ski and Snowboard Area and Summer Theater, near Walhalla, N.D.
"It's to discuss whether or not ATV trails should be in the Pembina River Gorge. People have a major concern about the ATV trails," said Judith Johnson, Frost Fire co-owner.
The state is in the early stages of building 78 miles of multi-use trails as part of a 2005 Master Plan for the Trail Development in the Turtle Mountain and Pembina Gorge Areas.
With cultural surveys and other preliminary work already completed, crews now are clearing and preparing the route for the 5-foot-wide path through public and private land, according to Mike Duerre, Pembina Gorge Recreation Area project coordinator.
Duerre and North Dakota Parks and Recreation Director Mark Zimmerman were at the meeting.
"ATVs have been a real issue in the Gorge," Duerre said. "In a landowner meeting in 2005, they said a trail would be OK, but it needs to be managed, controlled."
Portions of the trail system could be ready for use by late fall or next spring. They'll connect with some existing snowmobile trails through the region. Ultimately, the trail system will connect the Pembina Gorge-also referred to as the Rendezvous Region-and Turtle Mountain areas.
Then-Gov. John Hoeven advocated the multi-use trail system, including ATV access, when the study was conducted.
"Together we are working to advance North Dakota's tourism plan to develop nature-based tourism, multiple-use trails and outdoor recreational opportunities," he said at the time.
The study noted that North Dakota offers few legal trails on public lands, suggesting that ATV enthusiasts will find places to ride. By building designated trails, the state could prevent potential damage or other problems in sensitive areas.
"Our plan is to build a multi-use trail through public and private lands, so they have a place to ride," Duerre said. "We're using a trail design for low maintenance and environmental consciousness. We have to police it, to keep people off other lands."
